Improvement in cotton-picking machines



4c. McnERMoTT. Cotton Picking-Machines.

lPatented July 7, i874.

WITNESS UNITED STATES PATENT QEEICE.

CHARLES MCDERMOTT, OF CHI-COT COUNTY, ARKANSAS.

IMPROVEMENT IN C OTTONPICKING MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 152358, dated July 7',1874: application filed January 19, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, CEAS. MCDERMOTT, of Chicot county, Arkansas, haveinvented certain Improvements in Machines for Cleaning- Cotton, of whichthe following is a specication: v

The nature of my invention relates to an improvement in machines forseparating cotton from the stalks; and it consists in a number ofrevolving whips, an air flue or passage, and a fan or other device forforcing air, which areso combined that when the machine is set inmotion, the whips separate the cotton from the stalks, and the currentof air blows the cotton through the flue into a box prepared for it, aswill be more fully described hereafter.

Figure 1 is a perspective, and Fig. 2 a longitudinal section, view of myinvention. A represents the frame, which surrounds the fan b c. Leadingoutward from the top of this cylindrical part of the frame is anair-flue, d, through which, when the machine is in mo tion, the fanforces a constant current of air, as shown by the arrows. This flue isopen at :its top at g h, and in this open space are secured a number ofcurved wires, s, on which the stalks are laid as they are cut andbrought from the field, having the cotton still adhering to them. Placedunder the flue d, at right angles to it, are two shafts, n, havingpulleys o on one of their ends, and which are caused to revolve in anopposite direction to the fan by the belt p, which belt receives itsmotion from the pulley r on the end of the fan-shaft, as shown inFig. 1. Attached to the shafts n are a number of wire whips, k, or longslender rods, which project up through the slots i made in the bottom of.the flue d, and which whips, revolvingV in an opposite direction to`the current of air, separate the cotton from the stalks.

If so desired, a cover of any kind may be placed over the top of thewires s, and open space in the flue, so as to prevent any cotton frombeing blown away.

The operation is as follows: The stalks, with the cotton-pods attachedto them, are laid upon the wires s, and the machine set in motion. Asthe whips revolve they separate the cotton from the stalks, and at thesame time the blast of air from the fan strikes the cotton and blows itthrough the wires 8 into the flue d, or beyond, where it is stillfurther Whipped, so as to separate the cotton still more thoroughly fromany adhering pieces of stalks. At the mouth m of the flue is placed abox to receive the cotton, which box should be of such a length that thelight free cotton will be blown to its farther end, while the smallpieces of stalks which may be blown into the flue will fall in a heap bythemselves in the end nearest the machine.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- The combination of arevolving fan, b, and air-line d, the latter having openings in its topcommunicating with the open-bottomed hopper s s, in combination with thepicker-cylinder armed with whippers 7c k, revolving in oppositedirection to the fan, substantially as and for the purposes set forth:

CHARLES MCDERMOTT.

Witnesses:

F. A. LEHMANN, D. P. GowL.

